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Recycled Skateboard Lamp

I have been creating products from recycled skateboards about an year ago.

It's incredible how you can create art using broken skateboards, that is create a new life to something that was about to go to the trash or like me, to the pile on the bedroom.

Yeah it's great to have your own pile of skateboard decks you've already shred, but I've been discovering that it's way more interesting to create this unique pieces out of it. I love skateboarding and I do skate since when I can remember, but last year I had an injury that stop me from skating most part of the year. That's when I have decided to start to recycle skateboards when I couldn't skate, at least it allowed me to be in contact with my long years passion.

So this instructable will be one of the many products that I create from recycled skateboards, in this case a recycled skateboard lamp. I hope you enjoy, and try your own.

Step 1: Materials

For this instructable you will need some materials like:

- Skate decks

- Saw to cut your decks (hand saw, table saw or band saw)

- Scroll Saw/Band Saw for inner cuts (optional)

- Wood glue

- Sharp nife

- Clamps or press

- Sander (Belt sander, orbital sander or just paper sander)

- Lamp parts (you can buy new ones, or you can just reuse from an old lamp)

- Power Drill

- Finish

Step 2: Choosing and Preparing Your Decks

First choose your broken decks that you want to use, make sure you use the most colorful ones to get a better result.

In this case i will use decks with some colors, because i like to save the most colorfull ones to smaller projects, like rings and etc..

Be carefull here with the decks you choose. In this tutorial i will use only broken in half decks, but you need to choose where you have the most straight surface. Example: Don't use the part of the deck near the nose or tail, because of all the concave. The most straight they are the better when you glue them up.

Step 3: Preparing Your Boards

After this, it comes the less fun part of all the project... take of the griptape.

There are some different ways you can do this. In my case i will use a hairdryer to heat the glue of the griptape to help you take it out. But it will be better if you use a heat gun, or you can even let your decks out in the sun for a day if it's summer time, or even in front of you fireplace on winter.

After this it will be much easier to take of the grip tape. Just get a sharp knife and start with one corner. You can use a cilindrical piece to help you out as you can see on the pics. Dont trow away your grip tape, you can still use it as sand paper later, and like this you make sure you reuse all of your deck material. At this point is up to you if you want sand the surface of you decks now. In my case i will only sand when they are about to be glued up, to save time, because it's less to sand.

Step 4: Cut Your Boards

Now it's time to start cut you boards. For this i use my table saw, but if you dont have you can easily use your band saw or a hand saw.

First do your cross cuts with the height you want. I just rough measure 18 cm from the tallest broken tip. I want the top of the lamp to have random height on the broken decks so i rough measure it.

After this first cuts you already can see the beauty of this work on your decks. Now you can see all the colors pop up, and it's a good time to choose you pattern. Number your decks with the patter you want for the later glue up.

Now you need to choose the width of your lamp. Im my case it will be about 13 cm, so i mark the midle of the board and measure and mark 6,5cm to each side. Here in my opinion it's important that you use the midle of the board because of the concave of it, it will be easier to glue them up later.

After you mark all you boards, cut them do the marks. And once again dont trow away your cuts, you can use them for another project.

Once you cut you will end up with the rough shape of you lamp. So now it's a good time to sand your decks and take out their finish to make a better glue up.

At this point if you want you already can glue them up, but there's some reasons i dont do it now. I prefer to cut the inner layers for some reasons:

1º - The lamp will not be so heavy,

2º - In my opinion there's a lot of material being wasted inside where no one can see it,

3º - If you dont have a big drill bit that can go all the way down the lamp you better do this.

So i just mark where im going to cut and drill two holes on the corners for me to turn the piece on the band saw, as you can see on the pics. After all cut out you can see you save a lot of material for other projects.

Step 5: The Glue Up

Ok, you have all cut up, so now it's time for the glue up. Glue all the boards and clamp them, or use a press if you want.

TIP: When you glue up pieces of wood and try to clamp them sometimes they dont stay on the original place, they tend to move right? You usually trow away all you saw dust? Then don't do it, here is where it comes in handy. Where's a great idea to reuse you saw dust: Grab the thinest saw dust you can find and just pulverize the glue on your piece (see pics). This will make your decks stick toghether and dont move when you clamp them.

Step 6: Preparing It for the Lamp Mounts and Start the Finishing Process

After it dries it's time to make the hole where the hollow pipe of the lamp where the wire will go.

I do this from the top, so you need to measure the center point by eye, since you cant mark there.

Now you can just clean up the sides on a belt sander. Or if it's to rough do it on the band saw if you have a big one, or even the table saw.

I choose to let at least on of the sides with it's original graphic, to preserve the beauty of the skateboard, and make it beautifull but at the same time shreded. I choose this one cause i like the pattern of it.

You can sand the rest with different levels of sand paper until you get a smoth surface. Give the necessary coats of finish until it gets shinny and those colors pop up.

I also made a small piece to cover the inside part of the lamp.

Step 7: Lamp Assembly

Now it's time to mount all the lamp together. Insert the wire in the hollow pipe and do de right connections on the lamp cap.

Now you just need to get a lamp and a lampshade.

Step 8: Conclusion

Here i have some photos from this new lamp and the first one i ever made, were i used all the parts from an older lamp. Everything, but the (abajour) it's recycled, from the decks to the lamp parts from an older lamp that was about to go to the trash.

All done, and you end up with a super cool and unique skateboard lamp. You can put in your bedroom and fall a sleep to it's beauty.

And be carefull at night with the sharp edges :D

Hope you enjoy this instrutable, comment and share your own skateboard lamps you built.